Peter ltjtteke



(No Model.)

P. LUTTEKE. COMBINED THILL COUPLING AND ANTIRATTLER.

No. 570,100. Patented Oct. 27, 1896.

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THE mums PETERS on, Pmnoumo WASH UNITED I STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PETER LUTTEKE, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO PETER J.NETZER, OF SAME PLACE.

COMBINED THIILL-COUPLING AND ANTIRATTLER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 570,100, dated October27, 1896. Application filed February 24:, 1896. Serial N0. 580,561. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it mag concern:

Be it known that I, PETER LUTTEKE, a citizen of the United States,residing at St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in a O0mbined Thill-Ooupling andAnti-Shaft-Rattler, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming apart hereof.

My invention has relation to improvements in thill-couplings; and itconsists in the novel arrangement and combination of parts more fullyset forth in the specification and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the device, showing theaxle to which it is attached in section. Fig. 2 is a top plan Viewthereof with axle and securingstrap removed. Fig. 3 is a section on asa: of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a section on y 'y of Fig. 3, and Fig. 5 is adetail of the swinging tongue and base of the shaft-iron carriedthereby.

The object of my invention is to construct a combined chill-coupling andanti-shaft-rattler which will securely connect the shafts to the axle ofthe carriage or wagon and effectively prevent the rattling between theparts thus connected.

A further object is to construct a coupling which will be simple,durable, light, and cheap.

In detail the device may be described as follows:

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents the body portion of thecoupling, whose forward end is provided with a cavity or socket 2,bounded by lateral walls 3, each side wall being provided with aU-shaped depression 4, inclined inwardly to the general longitudinalaxis of the body portion 1, the object of the inclination of thedepressions being to prevent any accidental upward displacement of theparts carried thereby, as'will subsequently more fully appear. Thedepressions 4. are adapted to receive the coupling-pin 5, from the freeprojecting ends of which is suspended a tongue 6, said tongue beingprovided with arms 7, through which the pin passes and by means of whichthe tongue is freely suspended, the arms freely embracing the walls 3and being of sufficient depth or length to permit the tongue to swingfreely about the forward end of the coupling body portion. The base orlooped end 8 of the shaft-iron 9, to which the baseof the wooden shaftis secured, is suitablyrounded, so as to fit the base of the cavity 2 ofthe coupling, the pin 5, which passes through said looped end, servingto connect the several parts together, and when once assembled a nut 10is secured to the projecting end of the pin.

The coupling 1 is secured to the polygonal portion of the axle 11bymeans of a U -shaped strap 12, whose arms pass through the coupling,suitable bolts 13 14 securing said strap to the coupling and the strapitself embracing the axle proper and the wooden strip 15, by which it isgenerally covered or surmounted. The rear end of the coupling isprovided with a depending lug 16, through which the long arm of thestrap passes, the terminalnut 14: serving not only to retain said arm ofthe strap in place, but serving at the same time to retain in place oneend of an elastic or spring latch 17, running the full length of thebody of the coupling, the forward or free end thereof being providedwith a curved tapering guiding portion or end 18, which, as the tongue 6is swung around in the locking of the parts, passes through the notch19, out along the transverse edge 20, connecting the bases of the arms7. hen the tongue has been swung to the base of said tapering end, bywhich time it is approximately at right angles to the general length ofthe body of the coupling, the shoulder 21 at the base of said taperingportion 18 snaps over the base of the notch 19, securely locking thebase of the shaft-iron 9 to the base of the socket 2 of the coupling.

As best seen in Fig. 4, the bases of the U shaped depressions are alittle below or exterior to the walls of the opening of the loop 8 ofthe shaft-iron, by which arrangement the resiliency of the springlocking-latch draws the outer surface of the loop 8 firmly against thebase of the cavity 2, the draft being exerted through the arms 7 of thetongue against the ends of the pin 5 passing through the loop 8. In thismanner the base of the shaft-iron is always held firmly against the baseof the cavity or socket 2, making the device perfectly noiseless andpreventing any possible rattling among the several parts, the free endof the spring-latch always bearing down on the swinging tongue,

In assembling the parts the loop 8 of the shaft-iron and the ends of thepin 5 are simultaneously and respectively inserted into the cavity 2 andthe recesses 4, after which the tongue is swung into position to lockwith the spring-latch 1'7.

Having described my invention, what I claim is-- 1. In a thill-coupling,a suitable body portion adapted to be secured to the axle of thecarriage, a cavity or socket formed along the upper surface of the frontend of the same, lateral walls bounding said cavity, a recess formed ineach wall, a shaft-iron having a looped base, a pin passing through saidbase and adapted to project at each end beyond the walls of the cavity,a swinging tongue depending from the projecting ends of the pin, a notchcut in the tongue, a spring locking-latch having one end secured to thebody portion and having a forward tapering end properly curved to ridefreely in the notch formed in the tongue, and a shoulder formed at thebase of the tapering end of the latch for snapping over or engaging thenotch cut in the tongue, substantially as set forth.

2. A shaft-coupling and anti-thill-rattler comprising a suitable bodyportion adapted to be secured to the axle of the carriage, a dependinglug formed at the rear end thereof, a cavity or socket formed along theupper surface of the front end of the same, lateral walls bounding saidcavity, a recess formed in each wall and inclined to the general axis ofthe body portion, a shaft-iron having a looped base, a pin passingthrough said base,

said looped base being adapted to beinserted into the cavity of the bodyportion, the walls of the opening or passage formed in the looped basebeing slightly raised above the bases of the recesses formed in thelateral walls of the cavity of the body portion whereby thepin passingthrough the opening of the base of the shaft-iron is out of contact withthe bases of said recesses, a swinging tongue having arms embracing theside walls of the cavity of the body portion suspended from the oppositeends of the pin, the arms being of sufiicient depth to permit the tongueto swing freely about the forward end of the body portion, a notchformed or cut in the tongue on the line connecting the bases of thearms, a spring locking-latch having one end secured to the depending lugand having a forward tapering end properly curved to ride freely in thenotch cut in the tongue, and a shoulder formed at the base of thetapering end of the latch for snapping over or engaging the notch cut inthe tongue whereby the several parts when assembled are securely lockedand the looped end of the shaft-iron is drawn tightly into the base ofthe cavity of the body portion, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

PETER LUTTEKIC. lVitnesses:

PETER J NETZER, ALFRED A. MATHEY.

